Then he opened the steaming frankfurter pot and oh! how the luscious steam gushed out! Dot grabbed Tess' hand hard. She thought she was going to faint, for a moment--it smelled so good!
He selected two fat frankfurters and split them evenly. He placed them on the buttered rolls. He put on mustard with a lavish hand. And then he closed the rolls and wrapped the napkins about them.
Suddenly he saw Tom Jonah standing, too, watching him with wistful intentness, his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. If ever a dog's countenance expressed hunger, it was shown now in Tom Jonah's face. But he was too much of a gentleman, just as his collar said, to bark.
So the frankfurter man, without saying a word, opened the pot again and took out a third sausage. This he did not split or put mustard on.
"Would you little girls like to eat a lunch now and pay me for it the next time you see me?" he asked, smiling at Tess and Dot.
"Oh!" gasped Dot, clasping her hands and almost letting the Alice-doll fall.
"You--you are _so_ kind!" said Tess, her voice fairly trembling.
He passed the two wrapped sandwiches over with a polite bow. "You are very welcome," he said. "And I am going to give your dog one for himself because he grabbed that Gypsy. He's a brave dog and deserves one."
"Oh! if you would be so good!" cried Tess.
Tom Jonah made one mouthful of the frankfurter. You see, _he_ had not cared at all for the strawberries!
"Now," said the frankfurter man, as the girls walked on beside him again, munching their sandwiches, "that road yonder to the left leads right down to the beach and to those tents. You can see the flags flying above them now--see?"
"Oh, yes, sir!" returned Tess and Dot, in delight.
"Then you can easy find your way. Good-day, young ladies. I know your sisters will be anxious to see you."
"Thank you, sir," Tess said, not forgetting her manners. "And we shall not forget that we owe you for the sausages."
"That's right. Always pay your debts," said the man, laughing, and trundled his cart on through the dust, while the Kenway sisters trudged down the shadier road toward the beach.
In fifteen minutes they were seen coming. The entire encampment had turned out to search for the lost children. The boys from Milton had gone in all directions to look for Tess and Dot.